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Construction Management Programs Lead The Way

Over the last few years, job opportunities in the trades have exploded. More and more people are opting to study a trade rather than going into a four year degree that's more general and may not yield any job opportunities upon graduation. Construction is one area where jobs are booming. While you can enter the general field of construction as a general laborer, a better idea is to go to school and work towards a trade. Here are a few of the more popular areas of construction.

Electrician

As an electrician, you'll be designing and installing wiring systems for houses, businesses and industry. In some places all you need to enter the electrical field is a journeyman willing to take you on. But if you're really serious about it, you'll want to go to school to learn the basics. Most courses are less than a year and once you graduate you'll be a first year electrical apprentice. After three more years of apprenticeship you'll be able to write your journeyman test to become a full electrical journeyman. In order to move up a year, you have to have a certain number of hours in the field under your belt.

Plumber

A plumber takes care of all the water-related needs of a new construction. Everything from sinks to toilets. As with electrical, your best bet is to go to trade school where you'll learn the basics. Then, once out in the field working under the supervision of a full-fledged plumber, you'll learn more and your knowledge base will expand.

Construction Manager

A construction manager oversees everything on a construction project. From the cost of parts to dealing with any issues that arise, they make sure that the project runs as smooth as possible. In order to have a career as a construction manager you need to take a construction management program. Most courses are around ten weeks and will teach you such things as commercial design and construction methods, leadership, and cost control. Once you finish the course successfully you'll be ready to take charge of a construction project.

Safety Manager

Safety managers are often required on larger work sites. They make sure that all safety codes and rules laid out my Occupational Safety and Health Administration are being adhered to and help with the education of site workers. They will also come up with solutions for any areas or tasks that may be a safety hazard. Some companies hire a safety manager from within the company and will often pay for the required safety courses while others will hire from an outside company.

Scaffolder

On construction sites where the buildings being construction have several floors to them, scaffolding will be required. A scaffolder's job is installing any scaffolding that is needed. You can either do an apprenticeship on the job with a qualified scaffolder or you can take a scaffolding course. Since part of the job is also designing and figuring out the schematics for the scaffolding you'll need to have some math in your educational background.

Carpenter

Carpentry is a very versatile trade to go in to. Once you are versed in carpentry you can move into other related trades like form working, bench joinery, shop fitting, systems installation and maintenance work. This is another trade that involves an apprenticeship period. Having a solid math background is essential since calculating angles and measurements is an essential part of the job.